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This chapter was really fun to write. Let me know if its fun to read too! ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Disclaimer Part II: I don't own Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby." It is an amazing song though... :)

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 22: What's Stopping You?

By: LoveInk

Vince heard her come in and opened his eyes, squinting at the clock. 10 am. He felt the bed shift with her weight as she got back into it, water droplets falling on his chest as she moved to get comfortable. He held out his arm to her, letting her snuggling in closer to him before he wrapped the arm around her waist, playing with the strap of her lacy underwear. She draped one leg over his waist, her cold foot pressing against his thigh. "You're cold," he mumbled against her wet hair. He pulled the sheets up higher around them. "How was the surf?"

"Decent," she said on a happy sigh.

"Did you hang ten?" he asked.

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him. Vince trying to use surf lingo was like her trying to use mechanic lingo. "Nah, I don't have the right board for it."

"You excited for Race Wars tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. Totally," she said sarcastically. "Michaela already warned me that I'll be made fun of."

Vince smiled and nodded. "It'll be fun." She rolled her eyes at him, muttering something sarcastic under her breath that he didn't catch. "What happened to your Shirley Temple curls, Tiny?"

"Oops. I guess my hair got wet and they disappeared," she said feigning innocence as she got out of bed and headed to her dresser to look for clothes. "Bummer."

He chuckled, watching as she let her hair down from the bun it was in, the long tresses falling down her bare back. He swallowed hard, trying to keep a hold of himself when all he wanted to do was grab her and toss her back into bed. "Why'd you let Mia do that anyway?" he got up and pulled on his jeans.

Alex sighed and shrugged, pulling on a pair of black dance shorts she found on the floor. "We were bored and she wanted to convince me to do it for Race Wars. Said it would look sexy."

"I think you look sexy right now," he said, stepping behind her and setting his hands on her round hips.

"You didn't like the curls?" she asked, turning to face him. "You seemed to be having a lot of fun with them last night."

He shrugged a shoulder. He had like the way they sprung back into place every time he pulled on them. "They were fun, but I like this better. My hands don't get caught this way," he said, running his hands through her hair to emphasize his point.

Vince leant down, his mouth slanted over hers as he pushed her up against her bureau. His hands slid up her back, fiddling with her bra hooks briefly. Her phone rang, bright and cheery in the room. "Vince," she said breathlessly as his lips trailed down her neck. "Vince, I have to get that."

"No you don't," he muttered into her neck, his teeth lightly scraping against her soft skin.

"Yeah, baby its Lee," she said tangling her hands into his hair to pull him away. "If I don't answer, he'll be suspicious."

He gave her a confused look. "You don't know that."

"Bet you ten bucks," she said, knowing that appealing to his competitive side would make him give in faster.

The urge to tell her no and go back to what they were doing was strong, but he couldn't say no to her bet; it was too easy to win. Grunting, he stepped away from her and picked up the ringing phone from his bedside. He frowned when he saw she was right. "How could you…"

"That ringtone is his," she said with a wide green.

"You little cheater!" he said, handing her the phone.

"What, you're not going to answer it?" she teased, letting him know he was forgiven for the night before, but it hadn't been forgotten.

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "What's he want?"

"Dunno. I haven't answered it yet," she said shrugging as she took it from his hand. "Hey Lee. How goes it?"

"Dom just left with Brian, Mickey's busy somewhere else, and I'm bored," he said and she could hear metal clanking against metal. "Come talk to me. It's been awhile."

Alex followed Vince out to the dining room as she thought over his offer. It was true; she hadn't talked to Leon in a long time. Not that they had much to catch up on or anything, but she missed talking to him. "Is Vince there?" she asked. Vince raised his eyebrow in question from where he was getting cereal in the kitchen. He set out two bowls for them and shook some cereal into each one.

"Nah. He probably should be, but he's not. Dom gives him a get out of work free card because he always starts shit with Brian."

She laughed, rolling her eyes at the thought. "Mmkay. Let me change and I'll be right over there. Bye!"

"You know I'm right here, right?" he asked, pushing one of the bowls to her while he leant against the counter and dug into his own.

She nodded, picking up the dry cereal and sticking some into her mouth with her fingers. "Yeah, but he wants me to go to the garage," she explained around her the cereal. "It'd be weird if I didn't ask since we aren't technically together."

Vince nodded though he hadn't been paying much attention to what she was saying. He was too focused on the way she was licking the sugar off her fingers. He looked down back at his bowl to regain focus. "I don't think you should go if Dom's there. Especially if I can't be there to protect you."

"Protect me from what? What can he do?" Alex questioned.

He sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what Dom would do anymore," he mumbled, a hint of resentment in his voice.

Alex frowned, but didn't push it. "Well, he's not there. Went somewhere with his new boyfriend or something."

Vince laughed at that. He knew exactly who she was referring to. "He say anything about me not being there?"

"Just that you have a get out of work free card because you start shit with Brian all the time."

"He's a fuckin' punk."

"Be nice." She stood on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his jaw before skipping back to her room to get dressed in something more appropriate than dance shorts and her bra.

When she reappeared she was wearing a neon blue mesh tank top over a little black bandeau bra with a pair of black biker shorts. Her wet hair was braided into two loose pigtails, her side swept bangs hanging in her face as she leant over to pull on a pair of mismatched socks.

Vince had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping. She looked gorgeous. When she noticed him staring she blushed. "What? Do I look bad?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. You look hot as hell. I'm thinking about taking you to the room caveman style."

"What's stopping you?"

He was on her in seconds, stooping down to grab her behind the knees and lift her up. Giggling, she wrapped her legs around his hips as he pressed her back up against the nearest wall. He claimed her mouth with his own, restarting what had been so rudely interrupted just minutes before. His lips made their way down the column of her neck as her hands tangled into his hair. "You mark me and you're dead, Vincent Cash," she said as he mouthed the neckline of her low cut tank.

Smirking, he scraped his teeth against the soft skin gently, satisfied with the small moan she let out in response. Her phone rang again. "Ignore it," he growled.

"He's going to get suspicious," she managed to say.

He groaned, burying his face into her neck. "Fuckin' Lee," he murmured against the skin there. Slowly, he helped her to her feet. "He ruins everything."

Alex giggled, standing on her toes to catch his lips in another kiss. "I know," she said, grinning at him. "But that's what big brother's are for, right?"

Vince raised an eyebrow. "You know you're not really related, right? You're also the same age, if I'm not mistaken."

She rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his comment as she bent to slip on electric blue Converses that matched her top. "I'll see you later," she said skipping out the door.

He shook his head at her, putting his cereal bowl in the sink before heading back to her bathroom for a shower. It was going to have to be a cold one too if he was going to cool down after what she put him through.

After his shower, he pulled open his drawer with a small smile on his face. His drawer. He'd been a little taken aback when she'd offered it to him. It was a big step in their relationship, but she'd treated it like it was nothing, explaining that it was more convenient for him that way. And it was. He didn't have to worry about bringing a change of clothes in his trunk or his sister catching him in yesterday's clothes; he could just change.

Getting into the Maxima, he found himself driving to the garage automatically. For some reason he couldn't just let her be. He wanted to be with her, hear her laugh, watch her eyes dance as she spoke. Plus, he knew Dom would be back eventually and he hated the thought of not being there to stand up for her if his friend decided to be an ass.

He could hear the loud bass from the parking lot. It was clear Alex and Leon were alone because Dom would not have approved the volume of the music or any music at all. He recognized the beat to the classic 90's song as he got closer and raised an eyebrow; who still listened to that crap?

When he turned the corner, he fought the urge to laugh. Leon was working under the hood of the his own car, his arms covered in streaks of grease while Alex was bouncing up and down in the front seat as she sang along with the intro, "Ice, ice, baby," she said, pounding her palm on the steering wheel in time to the beat.

Leon popped his head out of the engine and grinned at her. "All right, stop. Collaborate and listen!" he rapped, his arms waving to the side as he continued the lines.

After a few lines, he pointed to her, and to Vince's utter disbelief, she picked the rap up easily, going through the next few lines like they were nothing, bobbing her head to the beat.

They traded off every two or three lines, never missing a beat or flubbing a line. Towards the end of the song, Alex jumped out of the car and starting dancing just like they did in the video. Leon joined in, doing the dance surprisingly well. The song finished and they exchanged high-fives, laughing with each other as they went back to what they'd been doing before the song. Alex skipped over and took her seat in the driver's side again, kicking her feet up onto the dash. They started talking casually, reminiscing about where they were when they first saw the classic Vanilla Ice video.

Vince started up a slow clap, catching their attention. "The 90s called, Lee, they want their moves back," he mocked, nodding a greeting to Alex as he made his way to the car he was supposed to be working on.

She gave him a short wave back, a small blush rising to her cheeks. She knew he was going to ask about it later. Leon rolled his eyes at Vince, flipping him off in response. "Esta celoso porque cuando el baila, parece un mono," he muttered in Spanish to Alex. (He's jealous because when he dances, he looks like a monkey.)

Alex tried to stifle her laughter, but she couldn't. She laughed loudly, looking at Vince. He raised an eyebrow. "What did you say about me, Donati?"

"Nothing," Leon said with a shrug of his shoulder. "Cabron." (Asshole.)

"Be nice," she chastised, rolling her eyes at him.

"Quieres irnos? No sabía que iba a venir." (Want to go? I didn't know he was going to come.)

She shook her head. "'sta bien, Lee. Tengo que estar con el aveces. No me importa mas." (It's fine. I have to be with him sometimes. It doesn't bother me anymore.)

He raised an eyebrow, something was off. Her eyes hadn't gotten that sad puppy look they usual got when she saw Vince."No me digas que estas con el otra vez." (Don't tell me you're with him again.)

"Bueno, no te digo," she replied easily. (Fine, I won't tell you).

Leon gasped, pointing a dirty finger at her. "You whore!"

Vince's head popped out of the engine he was working on, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Leon. Alex discreetly waved him off. "Juuuust kidding," she said, giggling at the mix of shock and disgust on Leon's face. "You should see your face, Lee. Priceless."

He rolled his eyes at her and went back to work. "Get your shoes off my dash," he ordered, sending her a glare.

She didn't pay him any attention. "Seria tan malo si nos reunimos?" she asked, curiously. (Would it be that bad if we got back together?)

He shook his head. "Nah. I just don't want to see you hurt again."

"Huh," she said, brushing off the comment easily. She stood from her seat and walked around to stand next to him. "So this Car Wars thingy…will you be racing?"

Leon snorted, rolling his eyes at her. "Race Wars? Yeah, I'll be racing. Why do you think I'm messing with her?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Her? Who her?"

"The car, Lex, the car!" he explained, his tone frustrated as he pointed to the Skyline in front of him. "I'm makin' sure everything is in working condition. I haven't raced her in a while."

She peered at the engine, an eyebrow raised. "Why is it a girl?"

"Because I don't like riding boys," Leon shot back.

"Does Michaela know you're riding another girl?" Alex teased, fighting the urge to laugh when Vince's head popped up from the hood of his car again.

He rolled his eyes at her. "What do you call your car then?"

"It's an 'it' because it's an object. All cars are objects, duh, Lee."

Leon looked mildly offended and gently stroked the side of his car. "She doesn't mean it, baby. Lex is just dumb."

Alex scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're dumb."

He peered over at her, his eyes falling on the red mark on his chest. "What's that?"

She looked down to see the bright red mark Vince had left behind. Rubbing her hand over it, she tried to think of an explanation. "Umm I forgot to wear my rash guard when I went surfing this morning and so I got a rash. Because the rash guard protects against board rash and you know, I wasn't wearing one," she lied easily. True, she would get rashes from the sand stuck to the board if she didn't wear the guard, but she never got them on her chest. Usually, she got them on her stomach and they hurt like a bitch.

Leon wasn't buying it; he knew what a bite mark looked like. "Uh-huh. Isn't a little cold not to be wearing a rash guard?"

"No," she lied. "It's perfectly warm outside."

"At 6AM?"

She nodded. "Uh, yeah."

He raised an eyebrow at her before waving Jesse over. The kid had just walked into the garage and was on his way to his office. "Jesse, you've surfed. Is that a surf rash?"

While Leon looked at Jesse, Alex nodded exaggeratedly behind his back, hoping Jesse would play along. The blonde kid watched her, his eyes curious, but he shrugged. "Sure, I guess," he answered before heading back to his little office.

Alex mouthed a thank you to her friend before Leon turned to her, still eyeing the mark suspiciously. "See? Told you."

Leon just grunted in response before leaning down to adjust something in the engine. Alex raised her eyebrows as she watched him. "What's that?" she asked pointing at a random part.

"That's where the dipstick is, dipstick," he muttered in response.

"Huh," she said as if she was interested. She knew she was annoying him and took pleasure in it. "What about this?"

"Intercooler," he answered without lifting his head.

"And this?"

He took his eyes off the engine and looked at her as if she was the dumbest person alive. "Lex, that's the battery."

"Oh," she drawled, fighting the urge to giggle. Of course, she knew what it was, but she was having fun annoying Leon. "Thought it looked familiar."

He gave her an incredulous look before glancing back to Vince who was trying to keep from laughing. "Are you hearing this?" he asked the scruffy man. Vince didn't say anything in return, he just shook his head. Leon turned back to Alex. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me. The battery! Don't you have one in your car?"

"Probably," she said rolling up on her toes as she shrugged.

Vince couldn't help but laugh at that one. She'd often play this game with him when she watched him worked on her jeep. With him, it was to catch his attention and they were usually adequate questions. With Leon, it seemed she just wanted to piss him off. "You're hopeless," he mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. He made a face back at her. Leon watched the whole exchange suspiciously. They were both in unusually good moods. He watched as her eyes followed Vince as he made his way to the storage closet. "Lex, why don't you go make yourself useful and grab me something out of the storage closet?" At her glare, he grinned and added, "Please."

"Sure," she said, skipping back to the closet.

Once she was gone he shook his head at her and went back to the car. Could she be more obvious? She'd left before he could even tell her what to get him. "Stupid," he muttered to himself.

Alex headed into the storage closet, trying to be as quiet as possible. She leant against the doorjamb just eyeing Vince. His arms were streaked with grease, his caramel skin gleaming with sweat. She let out a low whistle, smiling when his eyes fell on her. "Do you know how incredibly sexy you look?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

He looked mildly amused at her statement as he looked down at what he was wearing. "I'm covered in grease and sweaty."

"I like that look," she said, kicking the door closed behind her. "It makes me want to do all sorts of bad things to you."

A sexy smirk turned up the corner of his lips as he echoed her words from earlier that morning, "What's stopping you?"

So? What'd you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know in a review! :)

~Love Ink